Satsuma Domain

The Satsuma Domain (1609-1871) was a feudal domain of the Tokugawa Shogunate ruled by the Shimazu.

History
The Shimazu of Satsuma were an old clan, and could claim the Minamoto shoguns of old as blood relations. They had long received tribute from the Ryukyu Kingdom and traded with China, making them independent and open to foreign ideas than many others in Japan. Satsuma had two provinces at the start of the Boshin War and in rich, with an effective and efficient administration. They also had an advantage when it came to recruiting foreign veterans as agents.